Joe Burrow | Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Here are some teams that must bounce back in Week 2 after rocky starts to the NFL regular season
Week 1 of the NFL regular season is one of the weirdest events in the professional sports calendar. Historically, it doesn’t offer a true indication of what is to come.
“I think we see it across the National Football League, a lot of teams in Week One didn’t look like they’ll probably look the rest of the season,” Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce told reporters this week coming off of a flat 22-10 defeat at the Los Angeles Chargers. “That’s what we’re banking on.”
The truth is, there are 16 teams that are 1-0 and there are 16 teams that 0-1. Seasons aren’t already sealed, but, the truth is there are certain teams that simply have to show they can bounce back in Week 2 from what happened for varying reasons in their first game this season.
Here is a look at five of those teams.
The Bengals were the biggest surprise losers of Week 1. They were the biggest favorites over the lowly visiting New England Patriots going into the week according to FanDuel. Yet, the Patriots controlled the game from the start and the Bengals killed themselves with turnovers and rusty play. Yes, they were without wide receiver Tee Higgins and star receiver Ja’Marr Chase played on a limited basis in quarterback Joe Burrow’s return from an injury. But the reality is, the Bengals were sloppy and undeserving of winning. Now, they must try to bounce back at the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They are the Bengals’ measuring stick. If the Bengals fall to 0-2 it won’t be the end of the world, but in the competitive AFC, they’d be in a hole they built started with the stumble against New England. They can make up for it, though, with an upset win at Arrowhead.
The Packers are in a tough spot. They were a preseason NFC darling of many NFL analysts and they could have easily beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil last week. They just made a couple more mistakes than the Eagles did in what could be a playoff preview. The killer, of course, was when Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love went down with a knee injury in the final seconds. They should get Love back in the coming weeks, but they have stay afloat without him and with backup Malik Willis behind center. The rest of the NFC North is 1-0. The Packers have to try to find a way to beat the Indianapolis Colts at home with Willis to minimize the loss of Love.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Aaron Rodgers
Maybe the Jets will be one of those teams that will quickly forget their Week 1 malaise. But they did look pretty blah in a 32-19 loss at San Francisco. Yes, the 49ers are elite, but we’ve been hearing so much about this New York roster with Aaron Rodgers since before the start of the 2023 season. Now, that we’ve finally see Rodgers play a full game, the Jets looked less than special. There is no doubt, it’s a talented roster. But we have to see something at Tennessee on Sunday.
This one can get ugly quickly. Cleveland made the playoffs last season and the roster looked like it could repeat. But the Dallas Cowboys drubbed them at home in Week 1. But the biggest issue was that quarterback Deshaun Watson — who the Browns have so much invested in terms of what they spent in trade compensation and salary — was pretty awful once again and he is facing more off-field trouble. The doubts surrounding him are warranted. If he has another bad game against Jacksonville on Sunday, the calls for backup Jameis Winston to start will get louder. This is a big week for the Browns.
The Ravens are in a much different spot than most of the other teams on this list. They looked good in the Thursday night opener at Kansas City and barely lost. They played winning football. Yet, they’re 0-1. They have pressure this week because they can’t blow a great opportunity. They are home against Las Vegas and are 8.5-point favorite. The Ravens are pissed off. They’re fans will be pissed off and they should get past the Raiders to improve to 1-1. If so, they should be fine. if they blow it, though, 0-2 would taste quite bitterly in Baltimore. Hence. the pressure.
